Tuesday, February 25, 2014

A New Painting



Once it was decided that we would be moving east, we began to review our possessions and started the process of deciding what to keep, and what to sell or give away.

This can be a complicated process but in the end, we adhered to two values. Was the item something we truly loved, or was it useful? Or better yet, did is possess both qualities?

I did this with just about everything - furniture, clothes, linens, and even our art work. I had a regional painting of the Three Sisters in Oregon. Although I thought it was a beautiful painting, it was not something I truly loved. So I took it to our local antique art gallery and sold it.

In its place (although there wasn't supposed to be an acquisition in exchange), I purchased this landscape painting. It absolutely grabbed a hold of me. So I put the value of the Three Sisters towards it, and paid the rest through the gallery's lay-a-way program.

Last week, I finally received the painting. I had forgotten what it looked like actually. I even wondered, especially in the midst of our long move, what on earth I was thinking to purchase something at a time where most of our belongings were in storage.

But when I opened it, I understood once again.

I love the ornate and intricate detail of the gilded frame and the contrasting simpleness and complete calm of the subject matter, which is thought to be Greenwood Lake in New Jersey (from markings on the back of the frame).

Unfortunately, the frame did not withstand shipment across the country and arrived with a few broken pieces. They were clean breaks and likely easily glued. But nonetheless, I took it to a local antique frame restorationist and he mended the pieces back in their place.

In addition to repairing the frame, he also was able to give me some wonderful information on the piece. He believes it to be a painting by the 19th century American landscape painter, Thomas B. Griffin.

I haven't had a chance to further research the piece, but I am excited to learn more.

Friday, February 21, 2014

A New Sconce


Original light was a reproduction tin sconce. 


We replaced it with an $8 sconce I found at our local ReStore (while looking for something else). 

The shade comes from one of the old sconces we used above our fireplace in our old house

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! 

Monday, February 17, 2014

The Upstairs Bathroom


This is the upstairs bathroom in our rental house as it was when we moved in. I was thrilled to see it because it had a lot of great features that could shine with a little TLC. My first thoughts were fresh coat of paint, new ceiling light fixture, replace mirror, and install new light sconces over sink. In addition, the homeowners wanted to replace the bathtub and sink as it has been on their to do list for quite some time, and had already selected new ones. 


So here's a little peek with the new sink and bathtub. 

The sink has a lip on it so it's easier to place things around the basin, which is a nice upgrade. The bathtub matches the lines of the original. After the tub arrived and sat in the dining room waiting for installation, Mike and I pondered out loud to one another how he and the homeowner were going to be able to move it upstairs. We then discovered, to our astonishment, that the tub is fiberglass

This before photo looks like a black and white image because the original paint was a light grey. We chose to paint the bathroom white because we had extra paint left from painting the hall and stairwell. The end result gave us a much brighter space. 

We kept the blue floors but added a large throw rug. It comes from Dash and Albert. Dash and Albert rugs are not chemically treated with stain repellants or flame retardants, which is absolutely wonderful. 


I tried all sorts of paintings above the bathtub and settled on The Torn Hat, in this case a reproduction of the original painting by Thomas Sully (1820). The mirror is the first example of our movement to use lighter woods in the house. I really liked the warmth that lighter woods offered in our old guest house, so we're phasing out the dark and adding the light. 

In the end, we opted to not upgrade the ceiling light or replace the sconces. Instead, to save money, we left the ceiling light and simply removed the old sconces. We economized by not replacing the sconces, but they were also off-center from the new sink. Thus covering their wallboxes with blanks and mirror made the best sense to us. 


I added my Grandmother's old buffet for storage (she used to keep napkins and See's candy in it and I can't help but think of that every time I open the drawers). 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!



Happy Valentines Day! 
(From my late blooming Christmas amaryllis) 


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Knit Goods


Among my favorite cozy comforts during the chilly seasons are knit goods. My heart goes a -flutter come fall when the woolens come out of the closets and drawers. I love mittens, scarves and sweaters, especially those that have wonderful patterns like the mittens above. I have pairs with each of these patterns. 


These patterns belong to long gloves that extend above the wrist. 

Since having the dumplings, I've expanded my affection to other knitted wonders...


like this owl 


this mouse


this whale 


and ice skates. 


Then there is our menagerie of outerwear, like our raccoon hat and mittens... 


And our very favorite and eagerly donned lion, doggy and bunny mittens. 



Then there are sweaters... 




Amy Meier's wonderful mother knit this gorgeous sweater. She even stitched in a name tag. 


She knit this beautiful one too. 


One word - Fall.

If I were one to make New Year's Resolutions, learning to knit creations like these would be at the top of my list. I've managed simple hats and scarves for ambitious Christmas gifts over the years, but they didn't come easily. 

I had a friend in college who learned to knit from her Grandmother, and making socks, mittens and even sweaters came second nature to her. She would sit in a chair and just knit away, needing no pattern to go by, able to carry on conversation without pause. 

I think that is just so lovely. 

New Year's Resolution 2014: 
Learn to knit. 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

A New Novel



My dear friend Lisa has just published her first novel, The Shoebox. I am so excited and so proud of her. I just received my copy and cannot wait to immerse myself in the intricate story of Peter and Maddy.

I'm also incredibly inspired by her for she is a dreamer, and a doer. Whether it's publishing her first novel, sewing a quilt, knitting a scarf (I wear one of her creations everyday), throwing an annual Christmas party, or making jam (she just sent me homemade cranberry jam) - she dreams and she does.

She also happens to be the kindest and most generous person, and I am so lucky to call her my dear friend.

You can find her novel, The Shoebox, at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


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